Last week’s design style trends got some great feedback. In my experience, a traditional look is still the number one event request. The second most requested is a traditional look with modern elements.

This week: Black Tie or Not?

In the past few years I have seen a big switch with dress codes for events. I think it might have to do a lot with the way people are entertaining. There are more buffets than sit down dinners, and a bit less structure to the overall event. (Though I’ve always objected to the idea of wearing black tie on any hot summer day, beach or outdoor event.) I have also seen some hosts suggesting a kind of thematic dress code, for example, the always very elegant all white or all red dress codes.

Which of these is the most requested dress code in your area?

Black tie

President Obama and Mrs. Obama at the Midwest Inaugural ball (Photo via)

Dressy

Think cocktail dress (Photo via)

Thematic

For example, at my book launch party the dress code was: HOT

I think some people find it hard to find just the right thing to wear to a party. When I throw my own, I try to give direction that’s fun and amorphous so that guests can take the direction and interpret it in their own way. For example, at my last book launch party, the only attire request I had was to wear red (by the way, the rebel Martha Stewart showed up in orange). I love surveying the scene as guests show up to see all the clever ways they decided to get dressed.

For the Celebrations party, I wanted to come up with an attire request that complimented the mood of the party. January tends to be a depressing month since it’s so cold, it’s post-holidays and some people are partied out. That’s exactly why I wanted to throw the party at this time to bring back the mood of sexy, fun and hot…hence the attire requirement for this party: hot.

I’ve been so busy traveling and planning my party (along with many others…work never stops) that today it hit me: I haven’t chosen anything to wear to the party yet. What does one wear to a party where the attire requirement is “hot” and all the guests have already seen the invite?

When I grew up in Panama, I used to have to wear a uniform of white shirt, tie and slacks so I promised after high school that I would never wear another tie again. So, generally, I’m opposed to wearing suits–even though that may be someone’s definition of hot.

This is where you come in my loves. I need your help figuring out what to wear to my party. Tell me your suggestions, please!

Oh, and stay tuned for tomorrow. We’ll be talking about my favorite part of the party…the decor.

I’ve always said that LA is full of gorgeous people (even the ugly ones are pretty) but New York is where the characters are. Since this city is such a melting pot of different cultures, there’s a diversity in beauty and types of people that you may not see in another city. Besides great food at a party, it’s always wonderful to have some hot servers to accompany the hot food. Okay, I know you’re thinking this may seem trivial or superficial, but let’s think about this: The devil is in the details. If you’re going to oversee all the other crucial details of your event, why not ensure that there’s some great eye candy to go along with the main entree?

Yes, I am being a little cheeky–but there’s nothing wrong with admiring beauty, and if that means also getting to flirt with a random stranger, then all the better. And listen to this, at one of my parties a guest and a server ended up clicking and making a real connection. They later got married!

One semi-related, but semi-not side note to this thought–I really dislike when waiters are asked to wear tuxes at a black tie affair. It’s confusing to distinguish the servers from the guests and can cause some awkward moments. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at a formal event as a guest and I’ve had other guests come up to me to ask for a drink (talk about profiling).

What do you think? Is eye candy important?